It is known in the prior art to combine the concept of a drinking container and a drinking straw into one convenient device. Moreover, it is also known to provide the straw in the form of a tube which is wrapped around the container. Such combinations are depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,490 (FIG. 7), as well as U.S. Design Pat. Nos. 279,250 and 360,558. In these three designs, the straw is shown wrapped around the outside of the drinking container. There are also prior art designs involving a spiral straw and drink container wherein the straw is provided in some other relationship to the container. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,302 shows a spiral tube provided as the base of the container, with the container vessel mounted on top of it. U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,125 shows a container with a spiral drinking tube disposed inside the container. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,863 shows a holder for supporting a drink container in the form of a spiral tube with an extension at the bottom which is meant to be inserted into the ground. This design, of course, does not actually show a drinking straw.
All of the above designs suffer from certain disadvantages. In particular, the two design patents, as well as the design shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,490 all show the drinking straw or tube spirally wound around an outside surface of the container which is smooth. That is, the drinking tube and the wall of the container do not co-act in any way. In other words, the tube is not mounted securely with respect to the container, but is simply loosely wound around it. With such an arrangement, it is highly unlikely that the straw will be able to maintain any kind of fixed position with relation to the drink container.
Furthermore, these designs are somewhat lacking aesthetic appeal. The straw appears to be something simply added onto the container, and not integrally designed therewith. Thus, when such a prior art combination is grasped by the user, the hand encounters the straw, rather than the container wall. This also makes the container difficult to grasp.
It would be desirable to provide a combination drinking container and drinking straw in which the straw is attached to the container in a secure, semi-permanent manner.
It would be also desirable to provide such a combination which presents an aesthetically pleasing, integrated, and easy-to-use design.